Patong Beach

Located on the southwest coast of Phuket Island, Patong Beach is by far the busiest and most popular beach in Phuket, especially loved by partygoers and youngsters in search of a good time. The curving 3km long sandy beach is lined with numerous shops and services and is bold and vibrant.

Unless you arrive early there’s nowhere to park your motorbike, never mind a car! After dark, it’s popular with nightlife being close to infamous Bangla Road. The busiest part of Patong Beach is the middle with relatively quieter areas at either end. The bay is buzzing with speedboats and jet skis, particularly in the peak months from November to February and there’s a floating pontoon for swimming out to.

Love it or loathe it, Patong draws many thousands of tourists as everything is within walking distance from the beach. This includes shops, resorts, restaurants, bars and no-holds-barred clubs, street stages and nightlife. The beach itself has plenty of watersports including parasailing, longtail boat trips and banana boat rides.

Lining the bay are a host of international eateries and an abundance of cheap seafood restaurants as well as street carts cooking up tasty cobs of corn and chicken kebabs. There’s even a McDonalds and a Subway, for those who like some more familiar brands.